John 19:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken."

NIV: These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"

NASB: For these things took place so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: 'NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.'

CSB: For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken.

NLT: These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, 'Not one of his bones will be broken,'

KJV: For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

NKJV: For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

Old Testament prophecy comes up several times in John's description of the crucifixion. Earlier, as Jesus was dying, soldiers rolled dice to split up His clothes (John 19:23–24). This connects to Psalm 22:18, which depicts an innocent man suffering at the hands of His enemies. Jesus is given a vile liquid in response to His thirst (John 19:28–29). John sees this as an echo of Psalm 69:21.

To speed up execution, the Roman governor gave permission to break the legs of the condemned men (John 19:31–32). Jesus was already dead by then (John 19:33), though a soldier confirmed this by impaling the corpse with a spear (John 19:34).

The reference cited here seems to be Psalm 34:20. That passage speaks of God's ultimate rescue of those who are righteous. The prior verse (Psalm 34:19) speaks of God delivering the righteous "out of" their suffering. While Jesus is killed on the cross, He will soon be resurrected: a rescue "out of" death that demonstrates His divine nature.

The fact that Jesus did not break any bones also corresponds to His role as the perfect Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Israel sacrificed spotless lambs at Passover (Exodus 12:5), being careful not to break their bones (Exodus 12:46). That a sinless man (Hebrews 4:15) has been killed without broken bones corresponds to these prophetic images.

John 19:31–37 graphically confirms Jesus was dead before being taken from the cross. To speed up the execution, allowing the bodies to be buried before the Sabbath, soldiers break the legs of the other condemned men. Jesus, however, is clearly dead already. This is verified when a soldier stabs Jesus through the side with a spear. John notes two Old Testament references which allude to this as part of the Messiah's death. Only John, a direct eyewitness to this part of the crucifixion, includes this detail.

Pilate recognizes Jesus' innocence, but fears the mob assembled by Jewish religious leaders. He attempts to satisfy them by having Jesus viciously whipped and mocked. This only results in more cries for Jesus' death. The governor then shifts to protect his own reputation, ordering Jesus to be crucified on a charge of being "King of the Jews." John is directly present as Jesus is executed. He notes the fulfillment of several prophecies as Jesus dies. Once He is confirmed to be dead, Jesus' body is taken by two friendly members of the ruling council. They hastily bury Him in the borrowed crypt of a rich man.

When Jesus was first brought to Pilate, His innocence was obvious (John 18:36–38). However, the mob refuses to be satisfied with anything less than crucifixion. Pilate gives in to these demands. John, who is present for the entire gory spectacle, notes several instances of fulfilled prophecy (Psalm 22:18; Psalm 69:21; Exodus 12:46; Zechariah 12:10). Jesus is then buried in the borrowed tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9) to complete yet another Old Testament prediction. A guard will be posted to ensure no one steals the body (Matthew 27:62–68), which will only serve to confirm that Jesus' eventual resurrection was a true miracle (John 20:1–8).

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.